Colloid mill



Feb. 21, 1939. 1. H. MOREHOUSE COLLOID MT] IL Filed March 23, 1936Patented Feb. 21, 1939' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLOID MILL LouieH. Morehouse, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 23, 1936, Serial No. 70,233

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a mill and more particularly pertains to millsof that class employed in the formation of colloidal or paste productsby the minute disintegration of solids sus- 5 pended in liquids.

An object of the invention is to provide a mill embodying a grindingrotor associated with a grinding stator between which a mixture of solidparticles and a liquid are passed either by gravity feed or underpressure to effect grinding and mixing of the materials, in which therotor is so mounted that it may be readily adjusted relative to thestator to control the degree of fineness to which the solids aredisintegrated and also to compensate for wear of the grinding surfaces.

Another object is to provide a mill of the type including a horizontallyrevoluble grinding rotor carried on the upper end portion of a verticalshaft and arranged in juxta-position with the under side of a stator inwhich the rotor and shaft is carried in a mounting constructed foreffecting vertical adjustment thereof, and in which the mountingincludes roller bearings together withmeans for forcing lubrication ofthe bearings so formed and arranged as to insure against any lubricantbeing brought into contact with the products of the mill.

A further object is to provide a mill embodying the above features inwhich the parts are so formed and arranged as to facilitate theirassemblage and demounting thereof.

With the foregoing objects in view togethe with such other objects andadvantages as may subsequently appear the invention is carried intoeffect as hereinafter described and claimed and as illustrated forexample in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of the mill as seen in vertical section with partsshown in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail in vertical section taken on the line -3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing more specifically A indicates generally thepedestal portion of the mill, the base of which is carried by anysuitable 50 support. The upper portion of the pedestal A is formed witha spill-way B embodying a cylindrical side wall 6 and an inclined bottomwall I; the portion of the side wall 6 adjacent the lower end of thebottom wall I being formed with an outlet 55 opening 8. Mounted on theupper margin of the pedestal A is a cap C formed with a marginal flange9 which seats on the upper edge of the cylindrical wall 6; the cap beingdemountably and rigidly fastened in place on the pedestal by bolts lengaging lugs II on the adjacent marginal portions of the cap andpedestal.

Formed on the under side of the cap C is a recess I4 in which is seatedan annular stator grinder D which is demountably and rigidly held inplace on the cap 0 by an annulus l5 secured 10 to the. under side of thecap C by screws I6 which annulus is arranged with its inner marginoverlying the lower outer marginal portion of the stator grinder D. Theinner annular margin of the stator D is inclined outwardly and downward-1y to form a beveled grinding-face 11.

A rotor grinder E is arranged beneath the stator D and has afrustro-conical extension l8 which projects upwardly into the spacebounded by the inclined inner margin of the stator D. The extension l8has an inclined face l9 at the base portion thereof conforming to thelower portion of the inclined surface I! of the stator D, while theupper portion of the rotor extension 18 converges at an angle relativeto the inclined face H to afford a V-channel 20 between the upper innermarginal portion of the stator and the contiguous upper portion of therotor to facilitate the feeding of materials to be ground between thegrinding surfaces of the rotor and stator.

The cap C is formed with a chamber 2| which opens to the channel 20 andis formed with an intake opening 22 leading to the chamber 2| throughwhich materials to be ground are delivered to the chamber and to thegrinding rotor and stator; the opening 22 being internally threaded forconnection with a feed pipe, not shown, through which the materials maybe fed either by gravity flow or under pressure.

The rotor E is carried on a disk shaped base plate 23 having anupstanding marginal flange 24 which encircles the outer periphery of therotor grinder E; the base plate and the rotor grinder being formed witha central opening to receive the upper end portion 25 of a verticalrevoluble shaft F journalled on and extending axially through pedestalA.

In carrying out the invention the pedestal A is formed with an openended tube 26 extending vertically through the inclined bottom wall I ofthe spill-way B; the upper end of the tube terminating on a planeintermediate the margin of the cylindrical wall 6 and the inclinedbottom wall of the spill-way and the lower end thereof terminatingadjacent the under. side of the inclined bottom wall 1.

Extending into the upper end of the tube 29 is a cylindrical jacket 21having at its upper end a marginal flange 28 which seats on the tube 28.

This jacket 21 is formed with an internally threaded lower end portioninto which is screwed for vertical adjustment a tubular sleeve 29, thelower end of which projects downwardly through the tube 28 andterminates below the lower end of the latter. A flange 30, constitutinga wrench hold, is formed on the lower end of the sleeve 29 forfacilitating turning of the sleeve to advance or retract itlongitudinally on its threaded connection with the jacket 21. As hereshown the flange 30 is formed with radially extending openings 3| forthe reception of a lever or other suitable tool for effecting rotationof the sleeve. The pedestal A is formed with a side opening 32 to giveaccess to the flanged lower end of the sleeve 29.

The upper end of the sleeve 29 terminates in inwardly spaced relation tothe upper end of the jacket 21 and seating thereon is the outer racemember a. of a ball bearing 33, the inner race member b of which bearingis aflixed to the shaft F which extends upwardly through the sleeve 29;the shaft being formed with a shoulder c on which the race member 1)seats. A collar 34 is screwed onto the upper end portion of the shaft Fand bears on the bearing member b to clamp the latter tightly in placeagainst the shoulder 0. Balls d are arranged between the race members aand bin the usual manner to afford a roll bearing for the shaft F.

The upper end of the collar 34 affords a seat for the base plate 23 ofthe rotor D and is formed with openings 35 into which extend pins 36carried by the plate 23 to hold the latter against rotation relative tothe collar 34; the upper end of the shaft 25 being fitted with aclamping nut 31 screwed thereon for clamping the rotor and its baseplate firmly in place on the collar 34.

An important feature of the invention resides in forming the upper endof the sleeve 29 with an annular well 38 for containing a liquidlubricant, and in providing means for conveying lubricant from the well38 to the bearing 33 thereabove.

This lubricating means embodies a ring 39 rigidly fixed to the shaft Fbeneath the bearing 33 and projecting from the shaft over the well 38and on which ring is mounted a series of depending tubes 40 which extenddownwardly into the lubricant in the well 38; the upper ends of thetubes opening to the space between the rings a and b of the bearing 33,and the lower ends thereof being turned to open in the direction ofrotation of the shaft F, whereby on rotation of the shaft F a forceddelivery of lubricant from the well 38 to the bearing 33 will beeffected.

As a means for preventing discharge of the lubricant into thespill-way Ba seal G is provided in the space between the jacket 21 and the collar34 which seal embodies a ring 42 carried on the jacket 21, packing rings43 supported on the ring 42, a crowding ring seating on the packingrings 43, and a split ring 45 seating in a circumferentially extendinggroove on the inner periphery of the jacket 21 adjacent the upper endthereof; the split ring 45 engaging the upper outer marginal portion ofthe ring 44 to hold the assembled packing in place.

As a means for holding the jacket 21 and sleeve 29 against rotationrelative to each other and also holding the jacket 21 against turning inthe tube 26, a set screw 49 is provided having an enlarged shank whichleads through aligned openings 41 and 48 in the walls of the pedestal Aand tube 28,

' and is threaded through the jacket 21 into abutting engagement. withthe sleeve 29. g In assembling the mill several procedures may beemployed one of which consists in initially assembling the jacket 21 andsleeve 29 by screwing them together, then lowering this assembly intothe tube 26 to the seated position of the jacket with lubricantcontained in the well 38. A section of the shaft F carrying the bearing33 and the ring 39 with the tubes 40' thereon, is then passed downwardlythrough the sleeve 29 to position the bearing 33 on the upper end of thesleeve and with the tubes 49 extending into the lubricant in the well38., The packing seal G is then assembled in the jacket 21 whereupon thecollar 34 is screwed in place on the shaft and brought to bear on theinner ring b of the bearing 33. The assembled grinding rotor 24 and baseplate 23 is then applied to the shaft with the pins 36 engaging theopenings 35 whereupon the clamping nut 31 is screwed on the upper endportion of the shaft to clamp the rotor in place. The cap C carrying thestator D is then set in place on the pedestal and secured thereto by thebolts l0.

Vertical adjustment of the shaft F is effected by rotating the sleeve 29to advance it longitudinally in the jacket 21 whereby the shaft isshifted vertically to bring the grinding surface IQ of the rotor intodesired proximity to the grinding surface ll of the stator; verticalmovement of the sleeve 29 serving to effect corresponding movementof theshaft F since the sleeve serves as a mounting for the shaft by reason ofthe latter being supported thereon through the medium of the bearing 33.

During adjustment of the sleeve 29 the jacket 21 is held in place by thescrew 46 which is engaged therewith but is retracted relative to thesleeve 29. After having effected the desired adjustment the screw 48 isset to engage the sleeve 29 thereby holding the latter against rotationrelative to the jacket 21.

The lower end of the shaft F is then afiixed to a driving section 49 bymeans of a sleeve 50 fastened to the shaft F by a set screw 5| andhaving splined connection to the shaft 49 by spline 52 which permitsvertical adjustment of the shaft'F relative to the shaft 49.

In effecting a grinding action the shaft with the assembled rotor isrevolved and the materials to be worked, usually comprising granularsolids suspended in liquid, are delivered to the chamber 2| in the cap'0 and into the feed channel 20 from which the materials pass betweenthe grinding surface I! and I9 and are there subjected to the desiredgrinding action; the ground materials being ejected by centrifugal forcefrom the rim of the rotor and delivered to the spill-way B from whichthey pass to discharge down the incline bottom wall and through theopening 8. During rotation of the shaft F the bearings 33 are maintainedlubricated by the action of the tubes 40 as before described, thelubricant being directed into the spaces between the balls d to effectlubrication thereof; the lubricant being confined within the jacket 21by the seal G and thus prevented from coming into contact with theproducts of the mill.

It will be seen from the foregoing that by loosening the bolt 46 andturning the sleeve 29 the rotor may be easily and quickly adjustedrelative to the stator so as to maintain their contiguous grindingsurface in proper relation to each other according to the grade ofproducts desired. By supporting the bearing 33 on the shaft 1'' andproviding the splined connection between shaft F and its driving section49 such adjustment may be effected while the mill is in operation; thesleeve 29 being turnable independent of'the shaft F and operating onbeing advanced into the jacket 21 to move the bearing 33, shaft F, androtor to an elevated position as indicated by 10 the dotted lines I Fig.3.

I claim: Ina colloid mill, a pedestal formed with a spill-way in itsupper portion having an inciined bottom wall, an open ended tube extend-15 ing vertically through said bottom wall, a jacket extending into andsupported by said tube formed with an internally threaded end portion, asleeve extending into the lower end of said jacket hav- 7 ing screwengagement therewith, a set screw having threaded engagement with saidjacket for I engaging said sleeve to hold the sleeve against turning insaid jacket, said set screw having a shank extending through openings insaid tube and pedestal to hold said jacket against turning in said tube,a shaft extending through said sleeve having its upper end portionprojecting above said jacket and tube, a grinding rotor carried on theupper end portion of said shaft, and an annular grinding stator afilxedon said pedestal arranged above said rotor and formed .to cooperate withsaid grinding rotor.

' LOUIE H. MOREHOUSE.

